No. 1: Denver-Aurora-Broomfield, Colo.

No. 1: Denver-Aurora-Broomfield, Colo.

Q1 Home price index: 5.8 percent*
Q1 Foreclosure rate (YOY change): 1.9 percent (up 21.9 percent)*
Q1 90+ day delinquency rate (YOY change): 5.7 percent (up 34.3 percent)*
April 2010 unemployment rate: 7.8 percent**

In 2009, the Denver-Aurora-Broomfield MSA saw a small increase, 0.3 percent, in the median sale price over 2008, according to the Metro Denver Economic Development Corp. The trend increased in the first quarter of 2010 with the third-largest home price jump of the 50 largest metros, based on CoreLogic data. What pushed it to the top spot in our ranking was the combination with the MSA's relatively low foreclosure and delinquency rates. The area should also benefit from what looks to be an improving job landscape: The percentage of employers planning to add jobs in the MSA rose to 13 percent from 8 percent in the prior quarter, and the percentage of employers planning layoffs declined to 9 percent from 11 percent, according to the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey for Q2).

* Source: CoreLogic

**Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics